


Hey, Mr. Stark

by PeterStark



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Almost compliant to cannon, Amputation, Angst, Avengers Endgame stuff, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Did I Mention Angst?, F/M, Friendly Neighborhood Iron Man, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, I Made Myself Cry, Irondad, Love, Peter Parker Loves Tony Stark, So much angst, The Author Regrets Everything, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Loves Peter Parker, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark misses Peter Parker, but not really, or are they?, spiderson, that's up to you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26740711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeterStark/pseuds/PeterStark
Summary: That's how it always was. What he'd always say. It was so simple. Just a greeting.Hey, Mr. Stark.Tony was compelled to answer every time.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 19
Kudos: 184





	Hey, Mr. Stark

**Author's Note:**

> So angsty everyone. Please know that. Death. Greif. Pain. So much angst. It's all in here.  
> I own nothing.

Red and blue blurred past him. Tony jolted and turned, trying to find him, but then landed on a building. If he knew anything, Peter'd come to him. He always did. Tony didn't have to go searching for Peter. Peter knew exactly where to find him though.

"Sir?" Friday asked. He ignored the AI.

The suit melted away, into the housing unit. His sunglasses were heavy on his nose.

Something landed on the roof softly behind him.

Tony shouldn't have turned, but he did.

Peter pulled off his mask and shook his curls out. He lifted his head and those big brown eyes met his. Peter's smile lit the whole New York skyline. "Hey, Mr. Stark."

"Hey, kid." Tony pushed his glasses up a little further.

"What are you doing in Queens? Got your suit out and everything. Something bad going on? Do you need help?" Peter asked, so earnest and just so good and pure. Too pure.

"Nah, kid. Just thought I'd slow down a little bit. Look out for the little guy today. Queens is nice, huh?" Tony asked, wetness in his eyes.

"Yeah. It's been a pretty quiet day. How's Pepper and Morgan?"

Tony held back a choke. Slowly he pulled off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "They're alright, kid. I told Morgan a bedtime story about you and the Vulture. Had to keep some of the scary stuff out. You're her favorite hero, you know? She's two and she's got great taste."

"Ah, not the BEST taste. Iron Man's definitely the cooler hero. But I'm flattered by her choice." Peter laughed he was obviously trying to keep the air light and happy, but then frowned. "Are you okay?"

"No, Peter. I'm not." Tony shook his head. He couldn't hide that from Peter. "I wish you would come home with me, meet your little sister."

This time, Peter ran a hand through his hair, nervous. "I... I'm just, busy, you know? With school and spiderman-ing...you know? Plus... I'm not sure I belong out there."

"What do you mean, kid? You know you're family, don't you? You're MY kid, just as much as Morgan." Tony said. "You know that, right?"

Peter shuffled awkwardly. He didn't answer that question, he never did. And it always felt like a spear to Tony's heart. "Just don't want to cause ya any trouble."

"You're never trouble, kid." Tony said. His phone vibrated in his pocket.

"That your phone?" Peter asked.

"It's fine."

"Might be Pepper." Peter shrugged. "Go ahead. It's fine."

Tony pulled out his phone. It was Pepper. He answered it and put it to his ear. "Hey, Pep."

"Are you crying?"

"Maybe. What is it? What do you need?"

Pepper paused. "News said you were seen in Queens, stopping an armed robber. You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Pepper was quiet for a long moment. "Are you with Peter right now, Tony?"

Tony looked at Peter, who patiently smiled at him. Peter then sat at the edge of the building, as if waiting for the conversation to end. "Yeah, I'm with the kid."

"Tony..." Pepper breathed. "You know he isn't real, right?"

"Can you tell Miss Potts, I said hi?" Peter asked.

Tony let out a shaky breath. "He says to tell 'Miss Potts' hi." Tony let out a shaky laugh. Of course Peter still called her Miss Potts. Of course. Because Peter had died before they'd gotten married. Peter wasn't really there.

"He's not real, Tony." Pepper whispered.

"I know." Tony let out a sob.

"Is everything okay at home, Mr. Stark?" Peter asked with wide, dewy eyes.

"Tony, you can't keep doing this to yourself, you need to come home."

"Shelly said it's normal...to see lost loved ones. She said it's...it's a coping mechanism." Tony said, thinking of his therapy. It was normal for parents who'd lost children to see them. A way for them to cope or to find peace or confront what happened. A sort of trauma response. It happened. It wasn't abnormal. Lots of people hallucinated their loved ones, spoke to them.

"I know, Tony, but this is hurting you. I miss him too, Tony, every day. You've got to come home though."

"Someone's got to look out for the little guy. Queens lost Spiderman."

"And you lost your son, Tony. You don't have to do this to yourself." Pepper whispered. "Please, come home."

Peter stood up and his jaw tightened, like it always did when he was about to be stubborn. He turned and leveled a look at Tony. "Hey, you can't go out there if you're not in top shape. That's what you always told me. It's okay, Mr. Stark. I'll look out for Queens. Be the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Iron Man's got bigger fish anyways, and you need to be ready for that, not wasting time here. If you aren't up to it, go home. Don't waste time with me."

"You're not a waste, Peter. Never."

"Tony." Pepper sounded close to crying.

"Did he know I loved him, Pepper?" Tony asked. "Does he know I still love him? So much it hurts?"

Pepper made a choking sound. "Of course, Tony. Of course he knew that. It is so obvious how much you love him. And he's a smart kid."

"But I never told him. Never once."

Peter looked down at him, unmoving, his face sad.

Tony'd never told him that. He'd nearly said the words a million times. Back when they started working in the lab together. Back when they had their first movie night. Back when Peter'd first fallen asleep against his side during a movie night. Back when he'd once gotten stabbed on patrol. Back on that horrible night when Peter'd lost May. Back when he'd officially taken Peter into custody. God, he'd never been so sure about anything before, not even Pepper. But he'd known the second child services tried to take Peter away that he would not let that boy go, not ever. Back when he'd said he'd proposed to Pepper and asked Peter if it was alright, he'd wanted to tell the boy he loved him, but he hadn't. And when he sent Peter to school, he wished he'd told him he loved him. Back when he'd signed the form for the first field trip Peter'd had since May'd died, Tony had wanted to say it: Have fun at MOMA, today, kid, love you. But he hadn't said it.

When Peter'd gone too high because he was too heroic. Tony'd caught him in a new suit and tried to send him home. He'd wanted to say 'stay low to the ground, I'll handle this kid, look out for Pep, I love you.' But Peter'd snuck on board and he'd been so mad, so mad because he loved that kid and loved how brave and selfless he was. When the kid made stupid movie references to try to alleviate the tension, he'd wanted to say it, but he didn't. When they planned their battle on Titan, he desperately wanted to say 'I love you' but what had actually happened was Tony'd put his hands on Peter's shoulders: Stay safe, kid. Stick to the plan, we're a team. We're going to get this done together and go home, okay?

When Peter'd staggered toward him and reached out in terror. When his eyes had been wide with pain. When he'd been so afraid. While he'd begged to be saved, begged for his life.

Tony had been speechless.

"He died in my arms, Pep. He begged me to save him. I couldn't...and I couldn't even tell him I loved him." Tony collapsed onto the roof and cried.

The ghost of Peter's memory stood above him, quiet and still.

"He knew, Tony." Pepper whispered. "Come home, you should be here. You can't keep doing this to yourself."

"I know... I know." Tony breathed through his sobs.

"Hey, Mr. Stark?"

Tony couldn't ignore him. "Yeah, Peter?"

"Am I bothering you?" Peter asked gently, sadly. "I can go. I'm being a bother, with all this. You don't need to do this. I can just go." Those words had been the same ones Peter'd once said before. Back when there had been a fight for Peter's custody. 'It's just so much work, Mr. Stark. It's okay. I know I'm probably being a bother. You don't need to do this, you don't need to keep me. I'm not your burden. I can just go. Foster care can't be all that bad, right? It's fine. I'm not even related to you, you've only known me for what? A year? This is just so much, Mr. Stark. You don't have to do this.'

Tony had said: 'The hell I don't, kid. You're staying with me. No way in hell you're going to anyone else. You're my kid.' He should have added that he loved Peter. He hadn't.

"Mr. Stark, really. I don't like seeing you so sad." Peter whispered. "I...I know I'm dead." Of course Peter did, because even as a hallucination, he was smart as a whip. "You don't have to carry me around with you everywhere. I can go. Just...just let me go. I'm sorry I caused so much pain. You should be at home with your family, not here with me."

Tony dropped the phone and leapt to his feet. Peter was standing on the edge, about to jump, about to throw himself out of Tony's life just to make him happy. Because that what Peter did. Peter was a hero and an idiot. "Don't." Tony snagged Peter's hand and it felt so damn real. "I don't care what pain you cause, kid, I wouldn't trade any of it, got it?"

Peter looked at him with wide eyes.

Tony's jaw tensed and he nodded. "I'll find a way to do this. Half of all existence is gone, Peter, and I'll save them just because you're among them. If I have to destroy the laws of the universe to bring you back, I will. You got it, kid? And when you're back, I'm going to tell you everything I wish I'd said." Tony squeezed his hand and pulled the kid into a hug. To the outside world, he probably looked mad, but for a moment, he was holding his son. "I'm going to get you back, the real you. But...to do that, I think I need to let you go."

"Okay." Peter said, reasonably. "Sounds fair."

"But I'm getting you back, you know that, right?"

"Of course, Mr. Stark. I trust you." Peter nodded. Then the kid pulled away. He stood up on the edge of the roof. "How about this? I'll go patrolling. I'll be here, in Queens, watching over the little people. If you ever need to come talk, I'll be here. You go home, do what you have to do. Leave a light on for me though, okay? Maybe the real me will find a way back easier that way. Because, I bet the real me is trying really hard to come home too, wherever he is."

"Okay." Tony agreed. "Stay safe out there, kid. I love you."

Peter nodded, and jumped, swinging at the last second.

Tony put on his suit and picked up his phone. Peter'd still be here if he needed to see him, even just the hallucination of him. But he couldn't be distracted. He had a job to do.

"Tony!"

"Hey, Pep."

"Oh, thank God. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just let the kid go patrolling. He said he wasn't going to follow me around anymore."

Pepper seemed to understand and sighed. "Okay. See you soon?"

"Yeah, see you soon, honey."

-

"Hey, Mr. Stark." Peter said as he sat down next to the hospital bed. "I um... Well, Miss Potts-sorry, Mrs. Stark said you could probably hear me talking, so I came in here. You know I don't like hospitals much but...I really wanted to see you. Um, anyway. Thanks for saving all of us. Mrs. Stark says it's been three years! Crazy, huh? You...look different. Not bad. It's just...there's gray in your hair now. It's...I guess I just didn't get to see it change so it feels weird. Morgan's adorable. She calls me brother...not sure how that feels, but I'll roll with it...for her. I just...I've never really had that kind of family. Maybe I'll get used to it. She is really cute and so smart. Maybe she'll be smarter than you someday." Peter laughed.

"Um...you know, I do sort of remember some things. From...being gone. Other people said it was nothingness, but...I get these sort of feelings. I think sometimes I remember talking to you, wherever he snapped us off to... Silly, huh? But I remember feeling really lost, wherever we were. I remember searching for something, anything familiar. There was nothing really to see or do or feel, but then I think I remember your voice. Sometimes we talked, and sometimes you were quiet and just listened. It was...weird. But it kept me hopeful, for what little I remember of being Dusted. So...thanks? I know it was probably all in my head, but it helped." Peter reached out and squeezed Tony's hand. "I'm just, glad you're okay. They say it was touch and go."

Peter went quiet and just held Tony's hand.

Tony's hand squeezed around his.

Peter gasped and turned.

Tony's eyes were open and focused on him intensely. "P-Pete-P"

"Hey, Mr. Stark, don't talk. I'll get a doctor." Peter tried to stand up, but Tony's grip tightened. Peter could have easily broken the hold, but Tony made a noise in protest. "Are you okay?"

Tony swallowed and opened his mouth, obviously trying very hard to make words happen. But they weren't coming out.

"Hey, it's okay. It's fine. You should see a doctor. We can talk then, promise. But you need to be checked on, okay?" Peter soothed him, gently.

"R-real?" Tony rasped out.

Peter paused. "Y-yes. It's real. You're okay. Everyone's back. You did it, Mr. Stark."

"Real Peter?" Tony's voice barely came out.

"Yeah. It's me. See?" Peter squeezed Tony's hand back. "I'm here."

Tony seemed to be in a lot of pain, he raised his other arm...well, his shoulder shifted like he was trying to raise his arm. But there was no arm on that side of his body, not anymore.

"Mr. Stark. Don't! Don't do that. They...um..." Peter's eyes watered. He didn't want to have to tell Mr. Stark this. "They had to take that arm, Mr. Stark. It was...it was really badly injured. It was irreparable...even Dr. Cho and Dr. Strange looked for an option, but...it was...ruined. They...they amputated your arm, sir. I'm so sorry."

Tony's jaw clenched for a moment, then he let go of Peter's hand and reached out, waving his hand in a gesture.

Peter's eyebrows furrowed and leaned forward as he thought Tony wanted. "What is it? What do you need? I can help."

Tony's one arm wrapped around him and pulled him down into a hug.

"Uh...oh. This is nice." Peter gently hugged Tony back.

"I-I..." Tony's voice worked, rough and quiet. "I..." It was so much effort, his voice even sounded painful.

"It's okay. It's okay, just rest, Mr. Stark." Peter tried to soothe the man. He was careful not to rest his weight against Tony's battered body.

"N-no!" Tony protested, holding tighter. He coughed. 

"Breathe, Mr. Stark. It's okay. Just rest."

Tony wasn't having any of it. "I-" Tony took a few breaths. "I l-. I lo-ve y-you. I l-love you." Tony's body seemed a bit more relaxed, as if a weight was coming off. "I love you, P-Peter."

Peter's eyes widened and tears ran down his face. He buried his face against Tony's. "I love you too, Mr. Stark."

"Love you... I love you." Tony's body sagged and his arm went limp.

Peter pulled back and it seemed that Tony'd merely slipped back to sleep. "I love you, Mr. Stark. Sleep well, rest, okay?" He gently pulled back and put Tony's arm down on the bed.

The door opened. "I saw his vitals spike. Did he wake up?" Cho asked, urgently, walking forward to the bed.

"Yeah." Peter said, leaning back into his seat.

"Was he alert? Did he wake up, say anything?"

"Yeah." Peter said with a small smile. 

"Did he recognize you, did he seem 'normal' for him?"

"He was...a bit confused and I think in a lot of pain. He knew who I was. He...he said something to me."

"What was it?"

"Um...I think it was just meant for me." Peter said with a smile.

"But it was normal?" Cho asked.

It hadn't been normal, but Peter knew it was true. "Yeah. It was him." 

Cho lingered for a moment, checking on Tony, then left the room.

Peter leaned forward and said, quietly, what he'd wanted to tell Mr. Stark for a while. "I love you, Dad."

**Author's Note:**

> Take care.


End file.
